Commute Friday 08/14/2009

No cycle commute. Pretty hot in my unairconditioned home last night and I just didn't sleep so swell. So I used the extra hour in the morning I'd use to commute to sleep. Then I drove. The other reason to drive was I knew my pals at Hiwatha Cyclery had a part they procured for me. Its a tool to help separate the "Quick Link" on a chain. Most chains don't require you to open a link using a press tool, but have a link that in theory you can break apart with ordinary tools or even your fingers. Yet once they get a little dirty it just doesn't work that way. I have tried to spray cleaning them with WD-40 (it ain't a lubricant, but it cleans reasonably okay), but I can't break the link on my Bleriot. I think it really got worse when I rode in the rain last Friday. Nothing like a little surface rust to make things tighter. At any rate Jim at HC let me know there is a nifty tool from those fine local folks at Park Tool which makes opening that link much easier.